Believe in the Christmas Spirit

Christmas morning came quickly with Mirabel running into the room announcing Santa had left her a Dora Talking Kitchen and a Slurpee Treat Maker. So, I got up and told her to go wake up Justin. They both ran for the living room. They were spoiled as ever and got everything they asked for and more! Justin got his coveted Game Boy...and hasn't used it yet...a week later. Hopefully he will get into it...We have a 4 hour trip to Massachusetts this month so maybe he will get into it. And, Mirabel hasn't used her Dora kitchen yet either. Oh well. I don't want to hear any complaints about not having any toys! We spent a fair amount of time opening gifts. I got all whiney that i didn't get tile... But, my grandmother gave me tile. She is the best....I got a whole room and hallways worth from her. She is the only one that loves me!!!!! I guess I am a spoiled brat. But, I can handle it. The kids got a flock of chickens from Judy that will go to some poor family in another country, and we got a portrait of Justin that isn't actually made yet but will be made from a photo of him.
We got to Mom's house and there were a huge pair of black leather mittens with a white cuff under the tree. Mom thought it could be Santa's mittens he left and we all went outside to see if we could catch him. There were sleigh bells ringing in the distance, but we couldn't catch Santa...he doesn't like to be seen anyway. So, the rest of the day and night...and next day the obsessive compulsive neurotic kids we have could not get it out of their heads about missing Santa and "how are we going to get those mittens back" and "what is he going to do without them" on ...and on...and on. My goodness, I was finally like..."Justin....it's just for fun" and he didn't believe me. He kept on obsessing. Poor kid. I felt bad since it was really supposed to be for fun.
We got home relatively early and watched Elf...still an all time favorite movie anytime of year. Then, I was pretty much up all night with an athsma attack. Too much cat dander. I hate not being able to breathe. I was in the shower twice and used my percussion massager to try to bang out the crap...and a few times Felix hit me on the back for a couple minutes. I am just so sensitive to cats. Then the next day I slept until 1pm because I didn't go to sleep until 6am. Sleeping shot that day. Then, I didn't dare go downstairs Tuesday fearing the cat dander in the house, so I stayed in my room the whole day until 7pm. I should have just left but I didn't really have anyplace to go. So, I was really stir crazy and upset about wasting my last vacation day.
Now, it is back to the old grind...and hopefully the days will grow longer and I will be less nutso. I can't guarantee anything though.

Peace on Earth...at least there was on Christmas Eve for me

Friday night I was very annoyed, frustrated and I could have just about killed someone. I was so upset I ended up finishing all my wrapping and doing all my assembly. So....that meant I was free all day Saturday. I got up and I brought the kids to Casey's Hill in Underhill Center for sledding. We had a blast! We went down all the sections....even the steepest part...with Mirabel screaming all the way and then saying, "AGAIN?" We were the only people there for a while, then people started showing up. I was about the only mother there...I am not sure why it was all fathers. Maybe it's like I told Shelley, if it weren't for mothers there would be no Christmas. Anyway, after that we got a snack and went home to shower. The kids were stuck on a "Jesus, King of the Babies" kick and said it all the way home! We got ready for church and drove up to St. Albans for 4 pm mass. We had to get there at 3pm because it is always standing room only. Marina sang in the choir and was an angel in the pageant. I almost cried. She was amazing. After church, we went to Aunt Edie's for supper. Uncle Roy's lasagna is awesome. It was soooooo good partially because I was soooooo hungry. There were tons and tons of gifts at Aunt Edie's as usual. The kids were having a blast but we had to get home to bed. We got home and checked the Santa tracker and he was supposedly in Canada...so we hurried to bed. I set my alarm for midnight and got up and put out all the gifts and went back to bed.

The good, the bad and the ugly...oh wait...It's the Christmas Weekend!

My Baby Boy

Mirabel the snowboarder...just like MOM!




Justin is a wild sledder...that is all I have to say! He scares me.







The Star of Christmas...Marina did an awesome job in the choir.









Mom stole some of my chex mix!!









Uncle Roy's famous lasagna and salad on Christmas Eve! Mmmmmmmm Mmmmmmm Mmmmmmm!





Quincy's first Christmas











Ann with her brood








Christmas stressing you out? Watch out for relatives wielding over-sized dog bones!!








Aunt Edie's knitted snowmen...be careful Mirabel...they will be heirlooms!









Shelley modeling her new nightie!











Derek is very proud of his Spiderman Stunt Set!




Chillin' at Aunt Edie's...All these presents tire me out!

A reminder that we better get home and go to bed!

Santa did show up!!! (a surprise considering all the threats that two kids better behave)

Big heavy presents! But, not tile.

Justin getting into his new hockey bag...he fits!

Christmas at Mom's House....Sooooo much stuff. (and I whined and cried about tile??)

Dad did a heck of a job on the candy trains! Good thing Mom forced him to do it!

A tasty Christmas Dinner.

Mirabel enjoying a smoothie from her new "toy." I see strawberry daiquiri's in my future..

Cinderelli, Cinderelli...One room down...only at least six to go!! But, don't open the cupboards!

Fah who for-aze! Dah who dor-aze! Welcome, welcome Christmas. Welcome Christmas Day.

Well, since I am now officially off work until after Christmas and I feel the need to find some Christmas cheer...and "singing loud for all to hear..." ain't gonna happen....I have taken inspiration from Jill to think about Christmas in years past and drum up some Christmas spirit for myself.

My favorite memories of Christmas

Playing "Jaws" with Shelley and having the tree fall over on us. That definately added an element of surprise to an already nerve-wracking game.

Seeing Rudolph up on the road in the trailer park. That was magical!

Waking up at about 3am and laying in the bunk beds talking about what could be under the tree. Then, sneaking out into the living room in the dark and taking a quick peek and running back into the bedroom and telling Shelley what she got. Then running back out to get another peek....this went on all night long. We weren't allowed to get up before 6.

Taking turns putting on the yellow plastic star.

The plastic, santa sleigh with reindeer we put out every year.

The gingerbread house ornament I made in first grade.

My bear stocking that has a big black mark on the toe. (maybe from the coal) Oranges, apples, nuts and candy in the stocking.

Always wearing the outfit Aunt Edie got us on Christmas day.

Cabbage Patch kids...even after all these years and all the love and attention they got, they still smell good.

And the year Aunt Mary and the kids came for Christmas and the excitement on Kristyne's face when she got a cabbage patch kid.

Getting a hand written note from Santa saying he dropped my Barbie doll in the snow outside my grandparent's house.

The money from Grandpa that we always saved for last that was hidden in the tree. And, Gramp always handed out the gifts sitting on the ottoman.

The creative ways Mom would give Grandpa his money....especially the money between two slices of bread.

The year I was so upset that I got luggage for Christmas...and Shelley got a boom box which is what I asked for.

Chex Mix on Christmas Eve. I finally got in on it. I guess Aunt Edie thought I didn't like it and for years everyone else got a giant zip-lock bag chuck full and I got none.

Uncle Roy's lasagna and salad on Christmas Eve. Oh my, I can't wait!

I went to the Santa at Gaynes and asked for my own room...He didn't know what to say.

All the Christmas specials...Rudolph, Frosty, Charlie Brown and The Grinch. Now, I love Elf and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation also.

Buying Grandma a carton of cigarettes as her main gift.

Going to Aunt Winnie's Christmas night after our own festivities. I loved to spend time with my cousins.

Waiting at least a day to decorate the tree because the branches have to 'fall' and now cutting a live tree so we don't have to wait.

Dad and Uncle Roy holding the trash bags for the paper at Grandma's while eating peanuts.

Uncle Roy's box of socks.

Peanut butter fudge.

Mom going to Kmart after our Christmas Eve celebration to finish shopping because they were open until 10pm.

Taking Justin to the Polar Express in Burlington with all the elves..hundreds and they were yelling, "Justin, so glad you could make it"....he was thrilled...it was amazing.

I was so upset when I got a savings bond for Christmas at Kinney's after years of getting cash....I felt like Clark on National Lampoon's Christmas!

Trying to make Christmas for my kids as wonderful as mine was when I was young.

Making ornaments out of rose petals with a glue gun and ribbon with Mom. That was a beautiful tree. We even got rid of the plastic yellow star and sprung for an Angel.

The monopoly game I got from Grandma Fleming. I remember opening it and exactly how the tree and the house were set up that year. Odd.

When the UPS guys came with my present...a computer ...when Felix wasn't here and said..."Do you know about this?" and I didn't and they felt bad. But, I was excited.

The almost burnt scalloped potatoes every year.

Our advent calendar.

How Uncle Roy knows every gift he gets without opening it.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and Marina will be in the choir for the mass. I need to leave early because last year we drove 50 minutes and missed the whole darn thing. I am going to see it this year if it kills me. We will go to Aunt Edie's for the annual Lasagna and salad dinner and gift exchange with Aunt Edie and Uncle Roy. Then, it's back home to get to bed early...last year, Justin ran to his bed right when we got home. Let's hope this year will be the same. Merry Christmas!

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch.

I can't believe Christmas is around the corner. And I have watched "Elf" like ten times! I just can't get into it. I think I am just so exhausted and so overwhelmed with life, I can't think about Christmas. I noticed today that Justin has hockey tonight. I thought it was over until after Christmas but I guess that is why everyone kept asking me, "Are you going to be here Wednesday?" And, even though I was saying "Yes" it was not registering at all. That really throws a wrench into my plan of stopping at the store, and then maybe getting some cleaning done. It isn't going to happen. Now, (again) I will be running around...because I forgot Justin's hockey stuff and I have to go home, then get the kids and something to eat b4 6:00.

So, as I was writing this yesturday, Jess came over and said I could leave at 3pm. That made me think that I would get a bunch of stuff done and be able to get home and to practice lickety split. WRONG! I went to Walmart and got some socks and underwear for the kids...spent almost and hour, then I went to Toys R Us ....Had to run home to get the hockey gear and then get the kids. Justin had a headache. I told him he should eat and he will feel better...he did not agree. So, as we were approaching Essex he said he wasn't going to hockey. So, we decided that we would just eat and go home. Well, once he ate, he felt better. After I had already called Mom and Dad not to come....I called them back to say he felt better and was going to go now. Then, Mirabel spilled her shake in the locker room AGAIN. She was screaming that her shake was gone. But, how many times in a season can you spill a shake in the locker room....unreal. We did not get home until almost 9pm. Crazy, Crazy, Crazy.

A lesson in flexibility

I am feeling a bit panicky about Christmas creeping up on me. All of a sudden, it is Christmas week and I do not feel ready. I think part of the problem is that I have wrapped up a good portion of my gifts and the pile looks very small. Yet, my wallet is empty. So, I don't really know when I will find time to finish up shopping and also get the house cleaned. I have had no time to clean and the house is a disaster. It is unbearable. And I am sure there will be an influx of toys coming into the house next week!

Friday night Justin played at Gutterson again. The game was pretty bad and they lost big time against Burlington. We had hockey on Saturday and then there was gymnastics. Mirabel is doing great in gymnastics but complains that it is boring. She really should do hockey...that would keep her busy. But, I guess she isn't big on the skating part of it. Oh well. I think she would be great. She would be hyper like some of the St. A. girls....I am pretty sure of it.

Sunday Justin scored for the second time in his hockey career. At Highgate again. He was skating in front of the net and Jackson fed him the puck and he put it right in. The line was on fire. Jackson was left, Justin was right and Ian was center. All three of them scored. Then, Ian scored on an empty net at the end of the game when the other team had pulled their goalie. "Well, Mom...the only reason we won was because the other team sucked." I was very tired after leaving the house at 4:45 am to be in Highgate by 6am. We were the first ones there and the doors weren't even unlocked yet. But, we made it on time...which is more than I can say for one kid who decided to join the game in the middle of the first period. The rest of the day was sleeping time.

I went to Mom's Sunday night to drill press the blocks for my Smilie project this week. We made little name trains with wooden letter blocks and Melissa and I spent all day Monday screwing hooks and eyes into wood. Our hands are all cracked and red from doing that. The project was great, but I bought a few wheels that were too small for the dowels and had to revert to plan B. We glued the wheels onto the front of the train body instead of putting them on the dowel. Very disappointing for me. My prototype had been so perfect...but I screwed it up. Oh well....there is always next time. The project went over and the kids missed reading groups. So, now they will probably lose all their skills and be behind for the rest of their lives!!!!!! I told Lil that volunteering at the school has certainly been a lesson in flexibility for me. Of course, it has also been a source of great exhaustion. I have two weeks off. Then, I will try to plan some things that are a bit less work...for me.

The Stockings are hung by the ...couch? with care.

The Smilie Holiday Concert

America's Funniest Videos ...Here we come!

The Older Christmas Angel

The Little Christmas Angel

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Yesturday I got out early and did some shopping. I am almost done. There are a few items I need to get but for the most part I am very, very close! I was nearly sleeping in Walmart...one employee said, "having fun yet?" I was just about to drop. I went to get the kids early and we decorated the tree. I can relate to that song on the radio, The 12 pains of Christmas...one being "rigging up the lights!" Oh lord. I had two non-working sets and then the others were in a ball, just about as big as the one Chevy Chase had on National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. That took forever, then the kids did the ornaments. They are pretty much all down low...all on a few branches.

I had a bad spinning experience yesturday. I got there a bit late which was my first problem. Then, there was a sub. AND, I had to sit in the front row. THAT was the worst! I ALWAYS sit in the back. ALWAYS! So, I plug in my earphones and the music was way low. I need loud music...I am mostly motivated with music. So, ten minutes into the class, I took out my own MP3 player and listened to my music and I could hear the teacher just fine considering she was right on top of me! Anyway, I am used to "riding through the daisies," and this teacher cranked the wheel in the first five minutes...before my legs got a chance to warm up so I was really dying. The teacher said, "you are so focused.." ...yeah, because I am half dead, no music, and on display in the front row with the lights beaming hot.....Not my best spinning class...for the first time in over a year, I almost walked out. But....I stuck it out. I did learn something from my first spinning teacher, and that is, "this is temporary...in a few minutes it will be over and you will be on with the day...you can do it..." So, I guess that is the only reason I stayed.

So, my grandmother won a raffle prize at the Breakfast with Santa on Sunday. I just found out last night about the big winnings. I went this morning to pick up her prize and deliver some other prizes to the school. I got to Kathy's house and the boxes were out on the step. I had my dress shoes on and I was slipping around in the snow. I grabbed the boxes and I flailed all around. I set my grandmother's box down and put the other boxes in the trunk...I looked down and gram's box was gone. I looked..and it was half way down the driveway...and still going. So, I ran to catch up with it...and caught it. I wrestled it into the car. I hope it hasn't gotten away during the day today!

Run Run Reindeer

I got a call from Playcare yesturday saying Mirabel had a really bad earache. She had been complaining since Friday so I called for an appointment for her. That threw my night off completely. After work I picked her up and we got an appointment for 8:10 pm. Mirabel and I decided to go to the Scolastic Book Sale for a bit and then get a bite to eat at McDonalds. Then we headed over to get Justin at the rink. The kids were outrageously wild and just out of control. We went to Big Lots to hang out and ended up leaving there in a fit because the kids were so wild. Then, I had been planning all day to do paper snowflakes with the Smilie kids...and Justin says, "The whole school is going to make paper snowflakes tomorrow to decorate for the concert." So, there went that idea!! At 7:45 pm I am on the phone with Shelley from Walmart asking to look up the recipe for a pinecone birdfeeder! Goodness. Talk about switching gears in a hurry. We made it to the Doctor's office five minutes late. Mirabel was fine. I guess it's her throat and not her ear that is bothering her. So, off we went to buy pinecones at the Christmas Tree Shop. We did not get home until after 9:30pm. Then, I just fell asleep with Mirabel. It was 10:30. I couldn't take another late night. I was (and still am) exhausted. I got up at 4:45am to get working on an example bird feeder and to prepare the book. The kids needed baths and to eat and get ready and Justin fell asleep before reading his homework book. So, we needed to do that. I got to Smilie and everything went well. The Smilie kids are so awesome that it makes it all worth it. Tonight, I work until 6pm....and since Felix is working until 6, Mom has to pick up the kids....I will go to her house for supper tonight. I have no idea when we will decorate the bare tree that has been sitting in the living room since Sunday!!

Justin's first game at the "Gut"....UVM's Gutterson Field House....maybe someday for UVM?? We'll see how Mites goes...

Max in his nice fur collared coat. He is not impressed.

I am officially "one of THOSE mothers"...that wears a button of their kid on their coat

Ho Ho Ho....Merry Christmas!!

Last night we made our annual trip to see the Verizon Santa. Since we are going to be seeing another Santa on Sunday...I thought I would just let the kids know that my boss would be playing Santa and that he is good friends with the real Santa. Justin said, "Is he really?" and I said, "Yes, he plays poker with him and goes out for supper with him all the time." So, he said, "I better get my list then." We had to stop by the rink to pick up hockey photos before going to see Santa. On the way, Justin said...."What are those things we get at the Lucky Spot Store??" I named like twenty things...none of them right. Finally, I said, "Lottery tickets?" and he said "YES! I am going to ask Santa for a bunch of those." I said, "What...those are illegal for kids your age, Santa is not going to bring you an illegal present for Christmas!" So, he said, "NOW I am not ready." Crazy kid. He ended up asking for a Game Boy. Much better choice. He talked to Santa..he was amazed he knew his name. He said, "Did he see my name on my coat?" I said, "Well, I don't think so because he knew Mirabel's name too and her name isn't on her coat....." He is now convinced that the Verizon Santa is the real thing. Mirabel was thrilled that she was not afraid at all and it was her first time seeing Santa. (Well, that she can remember) She stayed on Santa's lap for longer than Santa really wanted her to I think. Oh well. She was just looking for brownie points...can't ever hurt ...especially when you are talking to the "The Big Guy." She came skipping over to me after spending a fair amount of time over in the vending machine area. And I said, "No, you can't have anything from the vending machines." Later on that night we were laying in bed, and she said, "How did you know that I was going to ask you for something in the machine??" I said, "I have special powers......AND I saw you come out from the vending machine area ...and what else could you want?" She still thinks I have special powers and that I am really smart. That is fine with me. Someday she might find out the truth. Oh no!

Justin is not bad at defense, but he doesn't like it

Some action in the game against Milton

Hey, Shel....Another reason Mirabel IS Grandma Fleming reincarnated...she sleeps with her purse!

Mirabel chillin' with her hot chocolate and Leapster at the game

Justin warming up with Moriah and more a experienced player, Erika

Justin's violin concert. He is the small one in the front. Check out Zach playing with NO HANDS!

Up all night making over 200 cookies!

The Smilie kids making gingerbread trees

Jason enjoying his cookie at Smilie

My new best friend, Delilah.

I am sitting here eating frosting from the container with a knife. (Don't tell the kids) We had a blast at the Smilie School making gingerbread trees. There are a ton of cookies and frosting left over and I am sharing with the office because I want them as far away from me as possible.....because obviously, I have no willpower! The kids loved to put together and decorate the trees. It took all of their willpower to not eat the frosting and candy. They did a great job. Once I learn how to reinstall my old camera on my other computer, I will post some pictures of them. I did make some extra cookies to eat. They were very delighted to finally get a taste. I was up until 1 am cooking gingerbread stars. Crazy. I like to cook, but there is no tv in the kitchen, so I have to listen to the radio for entertainment. I listen to Delilah. She is sickly sweet, sappy and just loves everything. The total opposite of ME! She takes requests for love songs and listens to everyone's stories, whether happy or sad. A lot of times, she butts in and ends up talking for the person and twisting their stories around. I love when someone says, "I hope that my ex-fiance comes around and finds out they still love me..." and she says, "Actually Darling, I hope you come around....you don't need that." It is kind of funny. Since I was up until 11:30pm Sunday and 1am Monday, I have had my fill of Delilah and her evil sappy, sentimental, loving ways....but I always listen.

Rose...the Bad Apple

Mirabel is a piece of work. She is histerical and anyone who knows her gets a kick out of her. Last night she had on a bunch of jewelry and she told me she was going to wear it to school and all the kids would think she was "soooo glamourous." Anyway, she rides the bus with Aunt Winnie and she does have quite a ride....I would say nearly an hour and most of it by herself on the bus. The other day she said, "I usually see our house when we go by...but sometimes I am sleeping." She says she takes a nap on the bus everyday...and she manages not to miss her stop. Of course, she is the only one on the bus at that point and the driver is related....and I don't think she would EVER forget to leave her off. Aunt Winnie called to say that Mirabel left her underwear on the bus. DANG. I am guessing it was her extra pair, but how? Why are there underwear outside of her bag on the bus anyway. I am sure she was probably showing them off and making jokes of some sort. I can see it now. I think maybe Aunt Winnie thinks Mirabel is a little Angel. She is very deceiving. I think she is under the impression that the only reason Mirabel says and does the things she does is because of the other kids on the bus. I showed Shelley her best friend Rose the other day. Rose is a tiny little girl with the face of an Angel. She is shorter than Mirabel if you can believe it and cute as a button. I said, "Shelley, there is Rose...the girl who is always getting Mirabel in trouble." She laughed histerically and said, "Riiiiiighhhhtttt. I don't think so." Mirabel is definately a ticket and if there is trouble there is a good possibility she instigated it. Mirabel is smart as a whip....and quite a jokester...and is exposed to waaaaaay to much Spongebob. Gotta love her.

Mozart never had to remove his hockey helmet before he performed!

Justin had a game in Waterbury Sunday morning against Milton. Milton has only lost one game and we have only won two games...so our only hope was that Milton was tired from their earlier game at 6:45 am. The team played aggressively and tied 3-3. It was a great game full of excitement.

After the game, we went home so Justin could take a shower and get dressed for his first violin concert. He all of a sudden came down with a flu. He was sicker than a dog and said he could not go to the concert. He refuses to admit that he might have been nervous. The concert was great. Short and sweet. He did awesome. He played Mississippi Hot Dog, Hot Cross Buns and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Now, he is not sick and of course, he was never nervous at all.

Last night I baked over 200 cookies for the first grade project. We are going to make gingerbread trees. It will be fun...but I was up 'til 11:30pm baking cookies, and I still have more to do. Hopefully, next week will be less preparation. HA HA!

It's not whether you win or lose, but whether or not you feel you deserved to win

Justin had a game in Highgate at 9:30 am. We rolled in just in time. Having home ice over an hour away is really quite a challenge at times. But, we made it.

After the game, we went to Mirabel's gymnastics. She is such a natural gymnast. I love to watch her. We left gymnastics and had NO CARSEAT. Love it. Felix left suddenly and we did not have time to get Mirabel's carseat out of the car. So, Derek illegally rode in the back in a seatbelt. We hit the first store we saw and bought a car seat. So, technically he was not without for long, but it is funny how we scanned the road and were sure every other driver was drunk and out of control all of a sudden. So, we all survived that fiasco...and moved on. We got Marina's party supplies for her 9th birthday this weekend....UNBELIEVEABLE. How did she grow up so fast.

Justin and I took off for Barre and Mirabel went with Mom and Dad to St. Albans for Marina's game. One thing I learned is that B.O.R. Stands for Barre Outdoor Rink....not Barre Official Rink or Barre Oven-like Rink. I guess they have recently enclosed it and it is now a lovly rink but it is colder than the dickens. I think they forgot to put in heat. Anyway, the kids were a bit upset that the referee who is probably all of 13 made a few really bad calls. The first way "they cheated," was that there was a player coming towards the goalie who tripped and flipped up over the goalie and into the net causing the net to be off the line. This is normally an automatic whistle. No whistle. So, the goalie covered the puck. This is also normally an automatic whistle. Again, no whistle. I don't know if Hunter thought he heard a whistle or assumed there was a whistle, but he let it go and got up, and the other team kicked it in. The officials counted the goal. Now, our team and coach are usually pretty laid back, but they had to dispute the call because it was just so incredibly absurd. And, the officials did not back down, so it just counted. The other thing, that I did not see was that according to the goalie...a player grabbed his stick and threw it into the net, and then scored on him. Basicly, the kids were not impressed by Barre. And, they are all convinced they won, 2-0...because they feel none of their goals counted. Don't try to tell them otherwise. They won't budge. They won.

Picture this...a peguin fashioned out of a lightbulb!

So, I pulled off another Smilie day. I had no idea at 6pm Monday what I was going to do with the Smilie kids. I had picked up a really cool book about penguins based on the movie "March of the Penquins." It has some really beautiful photos in it. Anyway, I decided to go with it. I found a lightbulb project online. The kids lit up when they saw the one I made. They had fun painting the little guy....and they loved cutting off the fingers of the gloves I had to make the hat and mittens for the penguin. Phew, it worked out. I really need to plan ahead. Dang!

Monday Monday

Yesturday was the Monday after a holiday. Busy, Busy.....and I still had no idea for my Smilie project so I went out on my lunch. I got back right on time and had to eat at my desk. I did realize that there are certain foods that you can (and I do) eat while actually talking to a customer. Today....it was tomato soup. Really, most soups are ok, as long as you don't slurp. I know peaches are edible during a conversation. Definately pudding. Any drink is fine...you just have to be careful not to swallow too hard. People CAN hear that. I have found that smooth chocolate is great too. You can eat cake on the phone. There are so many things that you can eat...but the customer has to be doing the talking when you take a bite. Then, you have a few seconds to say something before they say, "Are you there?"

Turkey for me, Turkey for you!

Thanksgiving was the usual yummy food at Aunt Edie's. We browsed our newspapers getting ready for shopping and played our usual games. Shelley and I are still getting accused of practicing Taboo even though we haven't played since last Thanksgiving. We are good ...what can we say.

The kids watched The Polar Express and played with the cats and dog. I was having my usual asthma attacks. Oh well. I finally recovered from it after Shelley, Mom and Roger whacked my back for an hour Saturday.

Thursday night I got to bed around 11pm and ended up waking up at 12:30am. I finally got out of bed at 1:15am to get ready to go shopping. There really isn't anything like the thrill of shopping the day after Thanksgiving. It is more exciting to me than actual Christmas day. The anticipation of what you might get and what you may not be able to get. It is very exhilerating. We got to Best Buy around 2:15 am. (The first people in line were there at 10pm the night before.) In our snowpants, several layers and wrapped in a blanket, we stood for 3 hours. About 3am, the Best Buy "Geeks" walked in...they were all together in a big group sort of in a Revenge of the Nerds style..I think they were scared. We made a new friend. A fellow hockey parent. He did give us some advice about different rinks. He asked us why we were not alternating going to the car, and we said that we wanted to be together. It was the "experience." Then, after the tickets came out and we were guaranteed our items, we each took a turn warming up in the car...which we were reminded by our friend could ruin our "experience." It didn't.

We were told that anyone purchasing a computer would have a cart and would not have to get one....so...we went around and got our items and waited in line at the cameras for an hour. Then, went to get the computers and NO CART. They were out. So, they wheeled our computers and other stuff into the line (the 2 hour line) and said..."scoot it with your foot." So, for about half hour...we pushed and scooted. Then, I went outside to try to find a cart. I found the motherload....a flatbed! Yeah! The longer we waited...the hotter it got as we were dressed in 3 layers plus a snowsuit. So, off came the layers. The workers were like, "Look at this." as they were pointing at us. But, we really didn't care. We didn't get out of Best Buy until 8:20am. Crazy.

We were way behind in shopping because we were there so long....last year we got in at 6am and were out by 6:30 and into the next store. Needless to say, we were starving, had to eat and get some serious coffee. It was also a struggle to find room in my little car to get all of our stuff in there. We had to rearrange several times.

We got home around 2:30pm and I got packed to go to NY with Justin. We rode the ferry in Grand Isle and stayed in Plattsburgh at the Holiday Inn. I joined the Rewards Club and I did get a free beer, which I never got to take advantage of. We had to leave early Saturday, so I also missed my free breakfast. Basicly, the Rewards Club was not very rewarding.

Justin had hockey in Chazy, NY at 8am....that rink puts "the ice box" in Highgate to shame. It is sooooo cold. It is cement around the edges and then some sort of plastic on the eaves to the roof. It's not officially enclosed. It was colder inside than it was outside ...and it was only in the 30's outside. I have to say, they had a "warm room" with a snack bar, but if you wanted to watch the game you had to stand on the outskirts of the rink because there were also no seats. It was just all bad.

Next, we were off to Hartford, VT. We drove across the whole state. We got to Marina's game just in time! At least there was heat at that rink...even though the rink was also very cold when you weren't directly under a heater.

What a day! Once we got to Mom's I was still asthmatic and the beatings began. I think they finally got me breathing after all that.

Sunday, was hockey in Waterbury, and relaxation. We did not do much Sunday. Thank goodness.

I am 35% sketchy....

Well, I am still addicted to the Blogthings quizzes. But, I have pretty much taken them all so I will have to wait for more to come out. They are just so fun and addictive.

It is the day before Thanksgiving. We are going to Aunt Edie's tomorrow for a great dinner. Judy is going to come up tonight. Mirabel is so excited about making the Zachary's pizza kits we got at the hockey fundraiser. I love Thanksgiving.

I can't wait to go shopping Friday. I am really excited!! I bought some foot warmers in case we end up at Best Buy again. I am going to wear long underwear and maybe snow pants this year. I will probably die waiting in that hour line at the register..but I will feel great out in the snow.

Justin is at Grandpa's again today. He has been totally spoiled. He is loving it. He has hockey practice today and then hopefully he will find himself a pair of boots. He has also been saving his money to buy this very expensive and cool hockey stick. He has just enough money now to get it and he will probably get it today.

Adventures in Babysitting

Grandpa Fleming watched Justin and Marina today because there is no school this week (and they both had hockey during the day.) He was sitting reading the newspaper and they came up to him in these get-ups. He was laughing so hard he had to take a picture of them. I don't know what is worse...the fact that they were wearing these sunglasses or that these are Mom's actual sunglasses.

I guess the kids had fun. Justin brought Star Wars Episode III for Marina to watch since she is being horribly deprived of her absolute favorite movie because her birthday is in a month! The poor kid. What kind of relatives does she have anyway! Oh well. She got to see it again anyway.

Justin had hockey practice this afternoon and the coach worked them like dogs. It is a good thing. They need it. Bonnie sent directions to the Chazy rink for this Saturday's game....Do ya think "note: the rink is not completely enclosed and gets extremely cold" in the directions is a good thing??? I am a little worried. I definately need a HOT SEAT. Maybe Roger has a camoflage one I can borrow.

They shoot ......They SCORE!!

Justin and Marina both had their first hockey goals ever....on the same day! Justin took the puck away from Chazy and headed up the middle of the ice with another player right on his tail. He was one on one with the goalie....he shot, the goalie put his arm up and it went right by him. Justin skated by the net and stood behind it with his arms straight up in the air. We all jumped up and down, screamed and practicly cried. It was a miracle. He has been waiting two years for a goal. Then, we went off to his next game in Essex and Marina had a game in Burlington. In the middle of his game, I got a phone call that Marina made a goal. I guess a player from her team took a shot and the goalie went down without the puck. The puck was sitting in back of the goalie, Marina saw the opportunity and hit it right in. Again....screaming, jumping and carrying on! Nobody could believe that after all this time waiting for either one of them to score, they both make their first goal on the same day!! It was great.

Later, we had Felix's birthday party. It was the usual. Cake, ice-cream and presents. He made out like a bandit. I got him the first season of the first Star Trek. We had to throw out all his old Star Trek tapes during the mold incident. The CDs are much more compact and light anyway. Mom got him a lantern he wanted and of course, tons of money and gift certificates. Lucky bum.

We got up early again this morning to be in St. Albans by 7am. Justin's team actually played pretty well. They were all fairly aggressive (except Justin who was still asleep.) The first goal was made by our team into our net scoring for the other team. I guess it was a mistake, but not a good one. Then the other team had some really good shots on the goal that the goalie couldn't stop. Other than that, it wasn't too bad.

We went out for breakfast in St. Albans and headed home. Now, Alex Bergeron is over playing with Justin for the afternoon.

And I got such a long way to go. To make it to the border of Mexico.

This weekend Justin has 2 home games....one home game at 8am in Highgate, which is over an hour from home (but halfway between us and another team's rink.) Then at 11:30 he has a home game at his real home rink in Essex. Sunday is St. Albans in St. Albans at 7am. We might as well get a room. AND, Justin is sick. He is not overly sick, but the school secretary/nurse/jack of all trades called and had me pick him up from school. When I got there he was laying on the bed looking pathetic....by the end of the day he was singing and dancing around to "Witch Doctor" ....Oooo eeeee ooo ahh ahh .....yeah, that's the one. So, I cleaned his room and watched "The Whole Ten Yards" the sequel to "The Whole Nine Yards"...about a mafia hitman. I don't really know how kid friendly it was, but he watched it....that is his punishment for calling me home. Then, after I picked up Mirabel I shampooed the carpet. There is no hope for that carpet. There is just too much permanent marker, nail polish and paint to get it clean. And there is some sort of mystery stain that looked like someone was killed in the room...that didn't come out either. Oh, well. I didn't even attempt to clean out Mirabel's bed....that is a days work right there. I did manage to clean the gerbil cage, which is amazing since I have only cleaned it once in like 9 months. Stinky!! So, I do feel like I got something accomplished today.

I went spinning this morning and it was freezing outside. It was like 28 degrees according to my car thermometer, which I don't always trust, but it's pretty close. The interstate was glare ice. For the first time ever, I saw a line of tractor trailer trucks sitting at the top of the hill in Richmond (there must have been at least 12.) I guess they were too afraid to go down. There was no accident or anything. I really don't blame them. If one lost it, noone would be goin' anywhere. They just waited for the sand/salt. I went through to get Justin at 10:30 and it was still icy!

I have become totally obsessed with the blogthings tests. I can't stop taking them. I found out that I am 30% weird. If I were a drink, I would be a Mai Tai. I could pass 8th grade math. I have a 100 IQ on the quick test. My Japanese name is Keiko. If I were food, I would be French-because I am snobby and people think they understand me more than they actually do. I am 75% drama queen...which did surprise me...but dang, those questions fit! (And, not to mention the fact that I am talking about these tests as if they are a real measure of personality.) There are so many that I can't remember...but they are very fun and very addictive. I highly recommend going to the blogthings test website and taking them if you have time to kill -or are busy talking to people at work that irritate you and you need to occupy your mind.

Now, before heading to bed so I can get up very, very early for hockey, I am going to finish watching, "Dickie Roberts, Former Child Star," which is actually a pretty funny movie....I wouldn't have guessed it...but then again I do like kind of stupid movies....right Roger??!

There's something wrong with the world today I don't know what it is

I missed spinning yesturday because I didn't set my alarm clock. So, I went this morning. When I got there, another guy was already in the room...and I really like spinning by myself...but that's ok. He had the lights on though, which I disagree with. I think spinning should be done in the dark. It is sacrilegious to have lights on. Thankfully, he left about 15 minutes before I did and I turned off the lights!

Justin has hockey tonight. He missed Monday because he didn't feel well. He is feeling better now, so we will be going. I guess when I was gone Saturday he had an "assist." I think he touched the puck before Hunter did and Hunter made the point. So, he got his name announced over the loudspeaker as assisting a goal. I wish I had seen it. Maybe he will score in his next game. Who knows. We have to be in Highgate for 8am on Saturday and St. Albans for 7am on Sunday. Early mornings! Dang!

I am still feeling a little sick. I am sick of being sick. It is making me feel very down in the dumps. I hope I snap out of it pretty quick!

Pilgrim pins

Today was Smilie Day. I got there and realized I had forgot the book about Thanksgiving I was going to read. Soooooo, I improvised. Not such a great idea...but all I had. I asked the students if they all knew who the Pilgrims were...."Oh yes!" Everyone knew. So, I asked, "Who are they?" "They are Indians." "They are people who went over the water and explored." "They are the first people ever to discover America." Hmmmm, time for a refresher. So, I had to give the best Pilgrim speech I could without any preparation at 7:45 AM. I wasn't much better, but at least I had them as Englishmen and not Indians.... Oh well. We used Sculpey Clay to make little Pilgrim pins. Very cute. I had very few cutters, so it went slowly. We did have fun though and they came out nicely. I stayed after and baked them and put the pins on the back. I didn't leave there until 9:30 and I had to be at work at 10:00. Oh well. We got them done, although I usually head home for coffee between school and work, so I was having a little caffeine fit. Poor Dahrian seems to get her projects screwed up every week...I picked hers up first and broke the collar off her Pilgrim, so I had to go into my car and get my E-6000 glue. I hope that will do the trick. She is the one that got her suncatcher stuck in the laminator too. Crazy.

Shop til ya drop...and we almost did!

Saturday we left early for Nashua, NH. Amazingly enough, and Melissa is lucky I can't download pictures to verify the speed we were going to get there in 2 hours and 15 minutes. We started at the two story Target. I could spend the day going up and down the escalator with the cart. We spent at least an hour in there, then brought stuff out to the car and went back into the mall. Santa was there. I thought it might have been a bit soon, but Star 92.9 has begun playing Holiday music 24/7 already, so maybe it's just me! Shelley and I tried on hundreds of clothing items and we have come to a realization that we are not made to wear this current clothing style that is the trend. I guess we will have to wait for a new older person trend.

I bought a bottle of perfume for $138 at Filene's and went to the Gap and left it in the dressing room. I didn't realize it was gone until I was paying for my nightgown at J.C. Penney and didn't have the bag. I went running back to Gap and thank goodness the manager found it and put it behind the counter. I was having a hissy fit! It would have really ruined the trip if i had lost it.

We went to check into the hotel and didn't even go in because we were so hungry. We decided on Ruby Tuesday, which we found out was in the Mall of NH. We saw it...and attempted to head that way and merged right towards what we thought was the entrance and ended up on the interstate going right by it. We did get a lovly tour of N. Londonderry, NH. We got back and there was a 35 minute wait, which we didn't think was all that bad.....until it turned into over 45 minutes or more. Our dinner was ok...the drinks were too icy to suck through a straw so I had to guzzle.

Since we were all sick, we made a stop at the Walmart and got carded for Robitussin, which is weird. Jen got thera-flu strips. Shelley got cough drops. It was a bad scene.

On Sunday, Shelley got up at the crack of dawn and we got home before 1pm thanks to Melissa Earnhardt. I went to Marina's game. They did well. It was essentially the girls against the boys (even though there are a few girls on the squirt team) and they tied 2-2. Then, we went out to see the movie Chicken Little. The movie was good and the kids laughed their heads off. Since it was Felix's birthday we had cake when we got home.

Monday, Justin wasn't feeling well. He didn't go to hockey. Poor thing. He got up and said "I feel worse!"

Pizza...Pizza

Friday night was Movie Night at Smilie. The Smilie Community Club presented the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I worked. I popped the popcorn and put it in bags, baked and cut pizza and put out brownies and cupcakes. The when people started arriving, I sold pizza, scooped ice-cream and gave out popcorn. I did not watch the movie at all. Kathy Sirois and I yakked for the full hour and a half running time. I even got to see a picture of her Dad's grave stone. It is beautiful. She coincidently had a photo on her camera.
I guess the kids had a great time because after I helped clean up a bit, we tried to leave and Justin had a hissy fit. Strangly, he would not get into the car. I am not sure why. I never did find out. Anyway, I waited for a long time and finally, left him standing in the parking lot. I felt bad, but Felix was still there and he has to learn that I am not going to fool around with that kind of behavior. Overall, it was a good night.

I wished the rest of the day had been as good. We did have Veteran's Day off. I got up for spinning and I came home. That was my first mistake. I tried to relax, but I was just in a really bad mood that I still can't shake. I watched a couple of movies and hung out with Mirabel a bit.

My camera is going to California

Well, I won't be posting pictures for awhile. My camera is on the blink. I can take pictures but I can't press any buttons to get to a menu to download the photos. The up and down arrows don't work either. So, I called tech support hoping for a quick fix and apparently the guy thinks it is a loose wire or something inside. Luckily, it is still under the one year warranty. I did buy the extended warranty also through Best Buy, but they don't handle it until after the first year. Anyway, NO PICTURES FOR YOU...COME BACK ....SIX MONTHS!

The two smarty pants

We had Justin's parent-teacher conference Thursday morning. He is doing great in school. Except for hanging out with the adults in the room in the morning, he does great. He is pretty much meeting every standard. Mrs. Cole said they don't usually give a 4 in first grade but he got all 4s in reading. Which makes sense since he has always done well with reading.

It was funny on Tuesday morning when I was volunteering, he started 'being himself' in front of the teachers, and they said "Wow Justin, I have never seen you act like this!" I said, "do you think you could keep THIS kid and I could take home the one that lives here at school??" No such luck. I get the devilish Gemini and the school gets the angel.

Mirabel did great on her report card...considering most of it just says IP...(in progress). Wait til next year....I have been very easy on Mrs. Gifford this year because it's only pre-school. She probably won't see the wrath of Mrs. Pond until next year.....then watch out! Mirabel is a smarty pants. She will be reading at the same level Justin did in kindergarten (or higher) and she is much more outgoing so, I think she will do even better.

Justin busy playing defense...he's ready for anything

Mirabel and Derek have a tea party